Look who's talking!

As of this past Sunday Owen has really started to discover his vocal cords...now he tells us all kinds of stories!

John Deere Green...

These boots are too cute! Owen got a pair of leather/suede John Deere boots from his Great Grandpa & Grandma (Angie's side). They are a bit big for him right now, but we just had to put them on for pictures!

If the stocking fits...

...wear it!

Can you tell which one belongs to Owen???

He's a cereal eater!

Owen tried out his highchair and eating rice cereal for the first time on Sunday. He must have found the texture very interesting because he made some weird faces...almost like it was sour! So fun!

Rolling Over!!!

The most amazing thing happened today...Owen rolled over!!! From his tummy on to his back. I completely missed the first time because I left the room for only about 30 seconds!!! I had just been in the living room with Owen watching him lay on the floor, I ran down stairs to grab a blanket, ran back up and he was on his back! He just looked up at me and smiled. I put him on his tummy to see if he would do it again...and just a minute or so and he was on his back again! Crazy! Look out world!!!
This video is of his 3rd roll over...he was starting to get a bit fussy...but he managed to do it again! :) I am so proud of my little man!

Unfortunately Jake is missing all of this fun because he is gone hunting...but, he did get his first ever buck last night! Way to go Daddy!

3 months old!

Owen was 3 months old on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. He's getting so "old" and so big, so fast! He weighs approximately 13 pounds now...almost twice his birth weight. Owen is becoming very alert to the things around him. He loves to play in his activity gym, in his swing and in the bouncy seat. The video below shows him playing in one of his bouncy seats.

Owen's first Thanksgiving was fun! He was happy for most of the day...showing off his flirty smile when he had the chance. We were able to spend Thanksgiving with Jake's family in the earlier part of the day and then with Angie's family later.

Shake Shake Shake!

Shake your rattle!
Owen has discovered his rattle...or at least we got him to hold on to it! :)
The video is a little dark...but SO cute! Enjoy!

Another 1st

With a new baby there are tons of "firsts". As of last week Owen got his first cold...so not a fun first this time. But it was bound to happen. He has been quite the little trooper through most of it. I'm praying that we are now on the way to getting better. Even though he wasn't feeling well, Owen shared some good smiles with me on Tuesday night :)

These boots are made for walkin'

SOOOOO BIG!!! :)

Grandma Pam and Grandpa Gary bought these super cool boots for Owen. They are a little big, but we'll try to get as much use of them as we can.

Bumbo Seat

Owen tried his "Bumbo" seat for the first time last weekend (Nov 2nd). He's almost strong enough to sit in it! :) When we hold Owen he really likes to face outward...so I think he'll really enjoy his new chair!

Family Photos

I finally have web access to our semi-professional photos. We went to JCPenny portrait studio on October 25th. Owen turned 2 months old that day. Here are a few of the pictures.

Owen's 1st Halloween

Owen's first Halloween was great! He didn't have a costume but wore orange/halloween-themed clothing all day. At daycare Owen got to "parade" down the street to another daycare and partied with all of the other children. Our daycare provider said that Owen had a super day!

Then, that evening we took Owen to visit his grandmas. He had a really good night too. Owen was very alert and content visiting with everyone...he didn't even nap during the commute between houses!

Playtime!

2 month check-up

Owen has his 2-month check up today (Monday). Most of the appointment went really well; the only bad part was the shots, which made Owen and mommy cry. We're okay now. :)
Our little guy sure is growing! He weighed exactly 11 pounds and is now 22.5 inches long. Both of these measurements put Owen in the 30th percentile. (For those who don't know, the 50th percentile is where the average child would be). He is just slightly smaller than the average child.
Other developmental areas also seem to be going well for Owen. He is really improving in his neck control and seems to be getting stronger every day. His little legs hold up his weight very well and his hands seem to be trying to explore new things all the time. His alertness, smiling, and cooing are also good signs that he is developing well.

2 months old!

Owen was 2 months old on Saturday. We started the day out by having breakfast with some of Jake's family at a little cafe in Anoka. Then we went to JC Penny to have photos taken. Unfortunately it was a busy day there and our appointment was pushed back by 20+ minutes... during our wait Owen was very happy, giving us lots of smiles and coos. By the time it was our turn to take pictures, most of the happy time was gone. :( He was a bit content for part of it, but we had to cut our session short and settle with only family pictures...none of the lil' guy on his own. Such a bummer! We'll try again next month. For now we'll just have to settle with the photos we take at home.

On Sunday we took a trip to Hinckley for Angie's cousin's confirmation. Owen did very well in the car...sleeping all the way there and all the way home. He also did very well during most of the church service...only at the end did he decide to "fill his pants." Oh well! Once home, Owen was being super silly and we got this cute picture...

Smile for the camera!!!

It's Tuesday, October 14th...Owen was 7 weeks old yesterday. I decided to take the day off work because I have a dentist appointment today...and what a great day to pick! Owen was a bit of a struggle last night (screaming, instead of crying, when he was hungry); however this morning he has totally redeemed himself :) A little after 7am the little cutie started smiling and laughing. It was so adorable. I was able to grab the camera and get a couple of pictures...but mostly I just wanted to just keep talking to him to see how long we could keep the happiness going. Up until this point we had mostly only seen him smile while sleeping and within the last week I caught him laughing in his sleep. What a HUGE surprise today!!!

A small grin on Monday night, while he was barely awake...

Tuesday morning fun...

1st day at daycare

This post is a little behind...but I wanted to get this out here. Owen's 1st day at daycare was on Tuesday, October 7th. It was a tearful departure for mommy that day...but I knew Owen would be in good hands. The departure was made easier by Jake being designated to drop off Owen in the mornings. I had a bit of a hard time leaving home in the morning and was just counting down the minutes all day until I could pick up my little man! I think I did really well though...I only called to check in twice! Owen has been doing very well at daycare and Sheila says that he fits in very well. All of the other kids really like Owen. :) Last week the kids even colored pictures for Owen to take home...the pictures were super cute!

Sheila was very kind to take a couple pictures of Owen during his first day...

6 weeks old

Today is Monday, October 6th and Owen is now 6 weeks old! Time REALLY flies...I cannot say that enough. I am sad to say that today is my last day at home with my little guy...back to work tomorrow. I think I will enjoy being out of the house more, but I know I will miss my little Owen a TON! Owen's daycare is very much looking forward to having him and I know he will be well taken care of.

We're believe that Owen is somewhere around 9-10 lbs now...just going from our scale at home. Below are some pictures from today.

Owen at 5 weeks

These pictures are from Monday, September 29th... 5 weeks old.

Owen's 3rd week

I can not believe that Owen is already 3 1/2 weeks old! He is so amazing. This little guy really has some strength. The muscles in his neck, arms, and legs are getting stronger every day. He likes to push himself up with his legs...we just put our hands under his armpits for stability.

I am just amazed watching him move his head around and look at his surroundings. And while laying in his little play gym the other day we almost thought he was going to roll himself over...seems way too early for that! Owen is really discovering what he can do with his hands very quickly...putting his hands in his mouth is one of his favorites (I think).

This week Owen has been visited by his Grandma Cheryl (Angie's mom), who took some time off work to help out. We also were visited today by Grandpa Dan (Angie's dad) and Owen's Great Great Aunt Bev. That was a nice treat. (And yes...that is a "double great", how cool is that?)

Here's a picture of Owen from today...he was hanging out in the swing he got from Grandma Pam (Jake's mom).

2 week check-up

It's been 2 weeks already?!?! Time definitely flies!

Owen had his 2 week check-up yesterday and everything went really well. The little guy is growing like crazy. He is now up to 7lbs 6oz and is 20 1/4 inches long. The doctor said that he looks really good and has no concerns. Overall the appointment went well and Owen only cried for part of it. :) Next, we go in for a 2 month check-up and the dreaded shots...

Here's a cute picture of Owen sleeping...we have lots of these.

A couple more photos from this week:

We made it home!

We made it home on Wednesday evening around 5:30 p.m.

Staying at the hospital was nice for a while since they help out with everything, but it is definitely nice to be home! Our girls, Angel & Jade, were very happy to see us and also very interested in meeting Owen. It seems that Angel has taken on the role of "watch dog" for him...I completely thought that it would be Jade. Who knew!

Anyways, we survived our first night and I think things went very well. Owen slept for 2-3 hours at a time giving us a chance to sleep as well.

Here's a picture I took with my cell phone, shortly after we arrived home.

Our bundle of joy has arrived!!!

Words cannot describe how we are feeling right now...our little boy has finally entered this world and he is more beautiful than we could have ever imagined.

Owen Daniel was born on 8/25/2008 at 8:35 p.m. He weighed 6 lbs. 13 oz. and was 20 inches long. For now he has fuzzy blonde hair and blue eyes.

As the weekend progressed it seemed like I was continually becoming more and more sluggish. My belly felt so huge and the backaches did not seem to stop. On Monday morning I knew that I would never survive the day at work...I called Labor & Delivery at 6 a.m. to see if I should go in for an evaluation. We arrived at Mercy around 7:30 a.m. and the evaluation showed that I was having contractions...back labor...but was still only 1-2 cm dilated...basically there was nothing they could do for me until I dilated more or my water broke. Just as we were going to be getting sent home, I had another contraction begin and little Owen started to kick me...it was then that my water broke! What an exciting moment!!!

I was checked into my labor room around 10:30 a.m. and tried to cope with the back labor until a little after Noon when they would finally give me an epidural. (I had to wait until I was at least 3 cm dilated). From that point on, things got easier because I didn't have to feel the contractions...just wait for dilation to happen. Luckily I progressed at about 1 cm every 45 minutes to 1 hour and was ready to start pushing around 5:30 p.m.

I pushed for about 2 1/2 hours and was running out of energy...the doctor finally said they could help with a vacuum suction and 30 minutes later my little man was out and breathing on his own! It was truly a miracle!

39 weeks pregnant!

Well...another week has gone by and we are that much closer to meeting our little guy! :)

We had our appointment on Friday, August 22nd and our progress continues to be normal. My blood pressure measured well at 119/74 and we gained another 2 pounds. This week my tummy showed some growth...37 cm, so the little guy must be growing! His heart rate was fast again, 170 bpm, but the doctor attributed that to his being active again (and my morning spent walking around). There was also some progress with dilation...I measured at a 2 this week, so we are getting closer. Also, I was told the baby's position is -1...which, the doctor explained means our baby is very low and the next position (position 0) will be when labor begins.

Our next appointment is in another week...stay tuned.

Take care,

Angie, Jake, and baby

38 Weeks Pregnant!

Just 2 more weeks to go!!! Can you believe the day is getting so close?

We had our 38 week appointment this morning and everything continues to look normal. The most exciting news of the day was that I am now 1 cm dilated!!! Even though we could still be waiting for the little guy for weeks to come, it was nice to hear that there is progress!
Our little guy is very active...and for the first time he showed off during our appointment. While the doctor was trying to get his heartbeat he was moving all around. Because of his activity, his heart rate was higher this week (150 bpm)...but this was completely normal. My blood pressure remains steady at 116/69 and I am still measuring at 34 cm. Maybe he's going to be long and lean? :)
Also, on Wednesday, Jake and I finished our Childbirth Prep and Parenting class. It was a 5 week long course that we took to learn about the stages in pregnancy, labor, and infants. The class was very informative and overall a great experience.

Now we just can not wait to meet our little man!!! Our next appointment is scheduled for next Friday...we'll continue to post with any updates.

37 weeks pregnant!

On August 8th, we had our 37 week appointment.
We are happy to report that everything continues to go well. The little guy is gearing up for delivery. We were told that he is definitely head down and is rather low...perfect place for him to be at this point in the pregnancy.
My blood pressure was normal at 116/73 and his heart rate sounded very strong at about 145 bpm. Our weight gain is still on track; we're gaining about a pound per week, and our measurement of 34cm looks good. Finally, with the growth, his activity is slowing down a bit...but his movements are very strong. Sometimes uncomfortable, but I enjoy it nonetheless. We now begin our doctor visits each week...we're getting SO close! :)

We're starting a blog!

Hello Everyone!
I've decided to start blogging as a way to share various events in our lives with all of our family and friends. I think we will be much more successful at this than trying to send a "mass email" everytime we have something to share. :-)
Please subscribe to our blog so that you will be notified when Jake or I post something new.

At first I'll be making a few posts to get you caught up on the last month or so...and then we'll move right ahead!
Here we go...